Collaborative Conversations
Include More Voices - Make Better Choices
Module Two:
Four Conversations for Creating Relationships and Results
“People who speak of ‘moving from talk to action’ are not awake to the fact that talk is the essence of action. We are, in fact, deeply influenced by how we speak to one another.”
~ Bill Torbert, Professor Emeritus
Carroll School of Management, Boston College
©2010 Collaborative Conversations
Drawing by Nancy Margulies www.nancymargulies.com
Once we are grounded in Skillful Listening, we’re ready to explore Four Conversations for Creating Relationship and Results.
If you stop to think about it, the success of just about everything we do that involves other people rests on our ability to be in conversation with them.
Think for a moment about how much time you spend in meetings.
How much of that time is clearly a focused use of your valuable time and talents?
If you can’t truthfully say that at least 80% of the time you spend in meetings is valuable and productive, you’re in need of a different way to convene your meetings. You need an approach that reduces the amount of “conversational waste” and brings into clear focus what is important at any given stage of the process.
It’s been my observation over many years, that nearly all the time wasted in meetings comes from not having the right conversation at the right time with the right people in the room.
Four Conversations for Creating Relationships and Results offers a “conversational roadmap” that is simple, elegant and powerful.
By the end of this module you will be able to:
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~ Convene meetings where all participants feel their time is valued
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~ Clearly distinguish which conversations will move action forward
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~ Encourage all participants to contribute their gifts and perspectives
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~ Guide your group toward making better choices that are supported by all concerned
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~ Improve the quality of interpersonal relationships among team members
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~ Eliminate vast amounts of time wasted in unnecessary conversations
